Before I start let me say there are 2 ways to take this topic on. I am
passionate about this topic (it's who I am and why I do what I do)... and
inherently that makes me less objective... which I will admit to start
with. However, that doesn't make me less knowledgeable.

1- Jobs are the band-aids of modern day slavery.
2- We all have free-agency.

A very complex topic and I'm interested in your thoughts. Start off by
reading these 2 articles...

In the last link/article many solid points are made. I have, as stated
before, 2 tangents of this issue I want to address. They don't argue with
one another and I'll try to be clear so you won’t perceive them as
mutually exclusive.

The idea of working for someone else brings up a lot of thoughts.

Indulge a digression for point. In the recent movie "The Alamo"
you see depicted 2 black men. One a slave of Jim Bowie. One a free man
contracted to serve/work for William Travis, commander of the Alamo.

In the movie there are 3 relevant scenes to this issue:

First, a scene where the 2 men talk with each other. The older of
the two, the slave, tells the younger free man that when the Spanish
breach the walls to say something in Spanish about being a slave... and
they wouldn't harm him, as slavery was outlawed in Mexico.

The younger man blows it off and says I'm a free man... not a slave. The
older man looks at him as says, just because you are contracted to this
man doesn't make you free.... the jist was, you're just as much a salve as
I am.

Second, Jim Bowie calls "his" slave in to his room as tells him to
leave the Alamo (the Spanish had given reprieve to all Spanish and
slaves). The man looks at him and says, "I'm Free?" and Jim replies
flippantly... "No, you'll be my property until you die."

Third, the younger free man curls up in a corner after the walls
have been breached by the Spanish and repeats over and over something in
Spanish to the effect, "I'm a slave."

---

Slavery is a tough political topic to discuss. Additionally, while TRUE
modern slavery exists and the trafficking of children, women, and
minorities still exists in our world today... I am not demeaning their
plight by using the analogy below.

I start my comments identifying the sensitive nature of this topic and ask
that if you are sensitive to an analogy drawn between the JOB and the idea
of Slavery... I would encourage you to discontinue reading.

To assert that I know what it's like to be a slave or to liken anything to
slavery, to some, might be taken as belittling the plight of "TRUE" slaves
and of slavery itself. This is not the case. I am extremely aware of these
issues and concerned about the lack of FREEDOM on any plain. Including the
vicious cycle and trap set by employers and society that make it extremely
difficult for millions of people to truly be FREE.

Here we go:

In the late 1800's and early 1900's an interesting shift happened in the
work force of the world, particularly industrializing nations. Small
business owners, farmers, and tradesmen started being courted by large
companies in mass, promising "steady wages" and a safe work environment.

This was heightened during the depression as small business owners and
people from all over were unable to earn a living... and as war erupted
and women MASSIVELY entered the work force a whole generation was
indoctrinated to value and teach the idea of working for someone else. Of
course for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years Craftsmen passed on
their trade to apprentices who worked for their master craftsmen...
However, the modern concept of a JOB was really not realized until the
30's and 40's.

Additionally, as the US started to prosper again, education started
becoming more and more critical for the better paying jobs.

Advance to modern day, when we have concepts
like "Over Qualified" and "Down sizing" and "Out Sourcing".

Modern economics and concepts of business
cause a disparity between stock holders value and the employees of the
company. There was a time where the POWER your business had was based on
the number of employees you had. Today, that's laughable! Stock prices
soar when huge layoffs occur, making the company "MORE LEAN".

Balance sheets and bottom lines and numbers are associated with the
employees value... when years ago an employee was valued as an asset...
today employees are a number on a balance sheet in the "Liabilities"
category... wages.

This fairly well describes where we find ourselves today as Generation X
(now the 3rd generation since the 20's) is pushed into the work force.

In the 50's and 60's someone could work their whole life for the same
company.
In the 70's and 80's it was likely that you could have 2-3 career shifts
in your life.
In the 90's and 00's we're faced with the prospect of 5-10 major "Jobs" or
career shifts for Generation Xers.

The fluid nature of the work force is quantified as an "Unemployment %" by
the White House and economic gurus.

Analogy: When a Cattleman takes their herd to market they measure their
profit 2 ways. 1 by the total head count, 2 by the total weight of the
herd.

All these things add into how an employee is viewed and treated in today’s
work force. I could go on and on from an employers perspective... the
unemployment insurance, the workers comp, the insurance and benefits, the
Social Security and Taxes... man it's insane... trust me.

But... this is about YOU or a loved one... about the employee themselves.

We have to almost blame ourselves.

I mean to say the employees... we push and
push and push for more benefits and higher pay... then we squawk when 1/2
the work force is cut because a company's bottom line is too thin. But, I
said ALMOST to blame.

The world we live in today is shifting slowly... more and more people are
seeing the power and liberation of WAH (working-at-home). But, there is a
long way to go.

These things cause a required personal cash flow level in order to "KEEP
AFLOAT". More and more we find people living outside their means.

Recently Bush signed into law a Bankruptcy Reform Bill. Sadly enough this
will just cause the problem to get worse. Rather than controlling how
people can get credit and where they can get credit... we have kept the
spending habits the same... and changed the only course of action some
people have for debt relief. I am not a bankruptcy fan for those doing it
with unjustified reasons... it's an easy way out for a lot of people. But,
it's a band-aid not a solution.

Let's help people earn more, spend less,
and reduce debt.

Minimum wage increases typically don't keep
pace with inflation... so, more and more families drop below the poverty
line (which admittedly in the US many living in poverty are living in
better circumstances than elsewhere in the world... however, poverty in
the US is a HUGE issue massively exacerbated by the unbalanced yin and
yang of Jobs & Debt.)

This seemingly never ending cycle of Debt & Jobs is the MASS modern day
slavery that everyone is subjected to. This is a typically
non-discriminatory slavery... it really doesn't care your color of skin or
sex.

It is a master without heart, without cause, that is completely out of
control.

Do you have a choice to go to work or not? YES! You are free!
Do you have a choice to get into debt or not? YES! You are free!

But on the whole as a society we are a group of insatiable appetites...
the same DREAMS and ASPIRATIONS that drive us to better ourselves, also
intoxicate us with the FALSE feeling of power as we drive away in that NEW
CAR or get that Boat... or buy that home. The FALSE feeling of "Success"
is easily obtained by being able to eat out 3-5 times a month, see a movie
any time we want, or buy the best brand cloths.

Do you realize that It really DOESN'T take 2 jobs to make it? That the
cost of living, FOR MOST, compared to their income is still relatively
acceptable (the disparity has grown but not enough to require 2 or 3 full
time incomes).

Do you realize that "Keeping up with the Jones" has forced many people to
live lives that are false with things that they don’t really need?

Most, can't even distinguish between a need and a want these days.

Do you have to go to work tomorrow?
What happens if you take the week off?
Do you feel trapped? Like a 9-5 jail cell?

Are you tired of giving 5 out of every 7 days... sometimes maybe 6 out of
every 7 days in exchange for money you'll NEVER SEE? It goes in and is
drained right back out before you know it?

How many of your bills are on Auto-Debit?
What is your Gross Check? What is your Net after all the bills?
Does it feel like you'll need to take on a second part time job "just to
make it?"

How much is your cable bill? 50 years ago... TV access was free.

How many Cars do you have? 50 years ago... 1 was the average. Chances are
you have 2 or 3.

How many pair of shoes do you have in your closet? 50 years ago... 2-3 was
the average. Church, Work and Home.

The list of things we expect are "Normal" today is MASSIVELY exaggerated
compared to 50 years ago.

A Job is the perceived solution to pay our masters for our freedom. Debt
is the real slavery... and we walk right into it... eyes wide open... in
some cases saying... GIVE ME MORE!

And then we go to work angry that we "HAVE TO WORK" (you really don't have
to... it's a rational choice you made when you got out of bed... if you
don't there are consequences... but, you really don't have to.)

We just barely do what it takes to get the job done so we can go home...
we take no pride in what we accomplish each day... we are looked at as a
liability by our employers... unappreciated for our contributions... and
day in and day out we fume and stress... and take more pills to make us
feel better.

And around and around we go. Slaves to our own appetites. Voluntary
Slavery. There was no Draft into this... we walked into it arms wide open.

1- Jobs are the band-aids of modern day slavery.
2- We all have free-agency.

One can not honestly say as they drive to work, "I do not want to go to
work." We as rational self-interested human beings only ever do what we
want... based on a complex guide of weighed consequences. When evaluating
each action each thing we do there is a whole list of pro's and con's that
are listed in our brains. Then we go through a cost benefit analysis of
each possible action and choose the one that "Makes us happiest".

Because we all strive to be happy... we will always choose the
thing that makes us happiest. Always.

The consequences of not going to work are far more painful in our minds
than the consequences of going to work... and so... we continue to go...
willingly.

If we can be honest with ourselves... and if we can clear away the false
perceptions surrounding this issue... then and only then can we empower
ourselves with the ideas we need to properly seek out opportunities for
LIBERATION!

----

On a side note. As a WAH guy my extended family often times wonders
how it is any better to WAH than to have a JOB. And I can see their points
too. I don't get paid for every hour I work... I get paid in spurts and
bursts... there's always an under lying constant income... but, some
months it explodes and others it falls off... that's just the simple ebb
and flow and natural progression of business... not every month is a
growth month.

As one starts out with WAH opportunities and businesses one may start, it
often times comes to a point where you'll have to leave that JOB, to make
the business grow, before you've reached the income you need to Replace
that JOB. Some times it takes a leap of faith in yourself and your
business... but, if you've planned well when the time comes you'll make
the transition. When you do... DON'T LOOK BACK! It's so easy during
difficult times or slow times to want to get back into the trap again.

I've worked with hundreds of people who are making this transition... and
I can tell you it's hardly ever easy. But, I can also tell you that
once you cross that line and can look forward and not back... There is
an adrenalin rush with each successful move forward your business
makes.